Irish Illustrated's Tracking the Trail returns with host Drew Mentock, Irish Illustrated's senior recruiting analyst Eric Thomas and 247Sports and CBS Sports national recruiting analyst Tom Loy. The trio discusses the commitment of Top247 linebacker Roman Igwebuike and what’s left on the Fighting Irish linebacker board. The crew also dives into the latest in the recruitment of four-star defensive lineman Brayden Parks and what he would add to the class if he committed. Lastly, Eric and Tom offer who the best fits for Notre Dame are in the class of 2028 and answer subscriber questions.

Irish Illustrated Insider previews the start of Notre Dame's training camp, examines the program's elevated place in college football's modern landscape, and offers a few overrated/underrated thoughts on recently profiled Irish players. We also discuss Brian Kelly's recent interview with Pete Sampson and Matt Fortuna on the Independent podcast

Irish Illustrated Insider offers its thoughts on reserves who could instead start, our tendency to overrate something during the summer months, which underdogs might offer competitive games along the way, and the nature of mixed player reviews on summer updates across football websites.

Episode No. 22 of the Irish Illustrated Interviews podcast series features Charles Du, a Notre Dame walk-on cornerback from 2024-25. Our conversation covers what it was like to first play football in high school after growing up in Beijing, why he picked Notre Dame over numerous Ivy League opportunities, the trials of being a walk-on to such a high-level football program and his own “Rudy” experience. We also dive into his time on the team, his unique bond with Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman and what he brought to the Notre Dame locker room. Lastly, Charles also gets into going viral during the 2024 College Football Playoffs after fans discovered his Chinese name stitched in Mandarin on the back of his jersey.

Irish Illustrated Insider goes off the field to discuss Week Zero's Future (Bowl Games?!), NIL on the Irish bench, and linebacker recruiting with an important announcement forthcoming. We also delve into the seemingly irreplaceable players, the wide receiver position as a whole, freshmen buzz through the years, and how inconsistencies could materialize for the loaded '26 Irish squad.

Irish Illustrated Insider tackles topics ranging from Rodney Dunham to de-commits, from the next Asmar Bilal to the first first-round draft pick. We discuss Quincy Porter's importance, rank each position group nationally, and look back at opportunity lost and what could've been with the modern 5-for-5 rule.

Disclaimer: Eric Thomas, Tom Loy and Drew Mentock recorded this before 2028 three-star quarterback Trey Tagliaferri decommitted from Notre Dame six days after he initially announced his pledge. So, we don’t discuss that here. The crew will cover 2028 quarterback recruiting on a future episode, but our resident experts still dive into plenty of pertinent recruiting scoop. Irish Illustrated's Tracking the Trail returns with host Drew Mentock, Irish Illustrated's senior recruiting analyst Eric Thomas and 247Sports and CBS Sports national recruiting analyst Tom Loy. The trio discusses the four latest commits in the 2027 and 2028 recruiting classes: five-star offensive tackle Albert Simien, blue-chip wide receiver Julius Jones, supremely talented defensive tackle Segun Alexander and underrated safety Andre Jones. Lastly, Eric and Tom dive into subscriber questions, including what Notre Dame needs to do to finish with a top-three class in 2027.

Off-season notes, NIL contracts, four hypothetical freshmen starters (hint: they're in the NFL), CJ Carr and Arch Manning, transfers for '27, the 2015 Irish, Shrewsberry's next pivot, and four Irish starters lost to World Cup Soccer? Irish Illustrated Insider runs the gamut in this June 29 podcast extravaganza.

Episode No. 21 of the Irish Illustrated Interviews podcast series features Chance Tucker, a Notre Dame cornerback from 2021-25. While on campus, he earned two degrees, including your master’s in business analytics this spring, before transferring to North Dakota State, which just moved up to the FBS level. Our conversation covers how his dad reacted to Notre Dame's offer in high school, his relationship with former defensive backs coach Mike Mickens, and why he doesn’t regret his college decision, even though his career didn’t go as planned. That includes overcoming two season-ending injuries. Lastly, the episode dives into his decision to join the Bisons and why, as a Double Domer, he’ll always cheer on the Fighting Irish. That is, unless the two teams end up meeting in the 2026 College Football Playoffs.

Irish Illustrated Insider welcomes Locked on Irish Podcast host Tyler Wojciak for today's three-man booth in which we discuss four camp position battles, early failures by otherwise successful coordinators, the Five for Five eligibility rule, and Notre Dame's remarkable recent run of recruiting successes heading into a crucial announcement Friday, June 26. We also share a long-lost Brian Kelly practice field story and opine on which of Notre Dame's lesser foes might find some fight in 2026.